Don't Take Him Away From Me
by McDumbles
Summary: This is a slightly AU story where 21 year old Emma believes that Henry belongs with her and that he loves her even though he has never met her. She goes to Storybrooke in order to take a 3 year old Henry back but she doesn't realise the consequences. Sort of Regina/Graham
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: This is a slightly AU story where 21 year old Emma believes that Henry belongs with her and that he loves her (even though he has never met her). She goes to Storybrooke in order to take a three year old Henry back but she doesn't realise the consequences. Based on a tv show I saw a few months ago. _

* * *

It was early evening in Storybrooke Maine; the air was cool and the sky was filled with dark storm clouds. Emma Swan, aged twenty-one, drove unnoticed into the town. She had never been here before but she had done her research and already knew her destination. As she drove through the streets she couldn't help but notice how peaceful and simple the town seemed. There were people walking around but that didn't change the fact that it was so disturbingly quiet.

"How could anyone live here?" She wondered. Emma was not one to settle down; she lived off of change and strived off of the life and energy of big cities. While she had to admit, the town did have a certain charm, there was something eerie about it that she couldn't quite put her finger on. "The sooner I get out of here the better," she thought.

Her goal was to be as brief as possible, and then to run; never to look back at this place again. She had made a bad decision a few years ago, a decision she was going to fix tonight. She had given birth to a perfect baby boy but she had given him away because she thought he could have a better life without her. However, recently she had been wishing she had a child of her own to take care of and to keep her company. Since she already had a kid out there, she didn't see the need to have another baby. He would be three years old now, the perfect age according to Emma. He would already know how to walk and talk, she could feed him the same food she ate and hopefully he would be potty-trained by now. This was much easier than starting with a baby that would cry all the time and never let her get any sleep or quiet-time. She wondered if he would be like her, she hoped so. It would be cool to have a little version of herself hanging around. She was certain that once he knew who she was he would already love her.

"I'm his mother, he has to love me." She had told herself before setting out for Storybrooke. "He will want come with me for sure."

Glancing one last time at the address she had scribbled onto a spare piece of paper, she turned onto Mifflin Street and inspected each house number until she arrived at 108. There were lights on in the house, as Emma had hoped there would be. That meant the owner of the house, Regina Mills, would be at home and most likely with her adopted son Henry. Emma's son.

Turning off the engine and stepping easily out of the car, Emma quietly made her way to a side entrance of the large white house. She looked up at it and had to admit, she was impressed. Emma had never lived somewhere as glamorous as this. She had been prepared to break in but when she tried the doorknob she was surprised to find it unlocked. Being used to the city and all its paranoid inhabitants, this made Emma smile in amusement. The crime rate must be almost non-existent here.

The door swung silently on its hinges and Emma tiptoed inside. It smelled homey; there was a warm, sweet aroma coming from what must be candles, or maybe even reed diffusers. There was also the delicious smell of cooking food coming from the kitchen; Emma could make out chicken and vegetables. Emma didn't cook full meals very often; she was more prone to making quick meals like sandwiches or ordering take-out.

Listening for approaching footsteps or voices she pressed herself up against the wall to peer around a corner. The coast was clear and the main staircase was visible from where she stood. Not being able to see the kitchen, she thought she had a pretty good chance of making it upstairs without being detected. Treading lightly across the foyer she kept her guard up in case of any surprises. When none came she skirted up the stairs and saw the open door of a bedroom. She gently walked over to just beside the door and peered through the crack between the hinges. She could see a little brown-haired boy sitting on the floor playing with action figures. He was talking but he appeared to be the only one in the room. Emma's eyes shone as she saw how her baby had grown. He was even more adorable than the last time she had seen him. She entered the room and knelt down a few feet away from the boy. He looked up at her with curiosity, but didn't seem afraid.

"Hi Henry," she smiled.

"Hi," he answered in a high childish voice. "Who are you?"

"My name is Emma," she thought a moment before continuing, "Your mom sent me up to check on you, I am an old friend of hers."

"Do you want to meet my friends?" He asked her, holding out one of the action figures to her.

"Sure!" Emma responded trying to suppress a giggle. So Henry showed her each toy in turn and explained each of their names and background in simple but numerous sentences. Emma was starting to get anxious, she knew she didn't have much more time and she needed to get the kid out of there before Regina Mills noticed there was someone else in the house.

"Hey I have an idea," Emma said with enthusiasm, "Why don't we go on an adventure, like your action figures do?"

Henry frowned in consideration. "Can Wolverine come too?"

"Sure he can!" She reached out a hand to help him up, and he shoved the toy under his arm, grinning.

"Wait," he stopped, "we should ask my mommy first. She might want to come too."

"No, I already asked her. She says its fine." Emma said a little shortly, she was irritated that he had called the other woman 'mommy.' Emma was his mother, and he would soon learn that.

"I don't think we should." Henry backed up a few steps.

"Come on Henry, it will be fun." Emma insisted, closing the few steps between them. Henry shook his head as Emma tried to give him a reassuring smile. When he still denied her Emma reached down and picked him up.

"Put me down!" The three-year old squirmed.

"Shhhh! You have to be quiet." Emma insisted, trying to make the boy stop fighting her.

"Where is my mommy?" He asked her, a little too loudly for Emma's liking.

"Shhhh," she hushed again while crossing back to the hallway, "That woman is not your mommy, I am, and I am taking you home with me so we can be a family again."

"What do you mean?" He continued to struggle, and Emma pressed her fingers to his lips to try to silence him. "You're a liar! She is my mommy, not you! MOMMY! MOMMY!" He started screaming for Regina as Emma reached the top of the stairs.

"Crap," Emma whispered under her breath as she heard a clatter from the floor below and then the fast clicking of heels as Regina ran towards the stairs.

"Henry?" Regina called from below, "What's wrong?"

Emma quickly descended the stairs and as she reached the bottom Regina came into view, her expression full of bewilderment, but this quickly changed to rage as she saw this stranger holding her little boy.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" She yelled as she angrily came towards the pair.

"Stay back!" Emma warned. Her plan had gone horribly wrong. She was hoping she wouldn't have to be seen, no one would have known she had even been to Storybrooke. It would have been perfect.

"I don't think so," Regina huffed as she continued to approach, reaching out to take Henry away from the unfamiliar woman. "What are doing with my son? You will regret coming here. Who the hell are you anyways?"

"I mean it!" Emma threatened dangerously, pulling a revolver out of the back of her jeans. "He is MY son, I gave birth to him and I am taking him back. I won't hesitate to use this, now step back." She waved the gun as she spoke before pointing it at the expensively dressed woman. When Regina saw the gun she stopped dead in her tracks, her dark brown eyes were still full of fire but her mouth was open in shock. However she refused to back away.

"Mommy... what's going on?" Henry whimpered softly, tears beginning to break free from his sparkling round orbs.

Regina's eyes softened as she focused her gaze on the frightened toddler. Taking a deep breath she assured him soothingly, "don't worry Henry everything's going to be fine." Switching her voice back to her more menacing tone she stated, "So you're Henry's birthmother." Narrowing her eyes she studied the younger blonde with distaste. "In case you don't remember you tossed him away, he no longer belongs to you and you have no right to take him. You could be arrested for what you have done already, and you don't want to push it even further. He is my son now. I don't know what plan you had, but if you take him out of this house you will only hurt him. He would never forgive you for that and I certainly won't tolerate anyone hurting him." Regina's voice was becoming dangerously low.

"You don't understand!" Emma yelled, "I love him, and he loves me. I know he does, he has to."

"Miss..." Regina started, but then realised she couldn't recall this woman's name.

"Swan! Emma Swan," Emma growled.

"Miss Swan, I know you think he loves you, but he doesn't even know who you are. Look at him, you're scaring him. Just put him down and we can talk about this." Regina tried to keep her voice slightly comforting because she didn't know how dangerous this woman might be. She could react at any moment and hurt someone.

Emma paused and looked down at the quivering child in her arms. There were tears running down his face and he was sniffling. His toy Wolverine left abandoned at the top of the staircase.

Regina tried to use this moment of vulnerability to her advantage and stepped forward, but this caught Emma off-guard and she quickly snapped out of her distraction.

"No!" Emma shouted," If I don't take him now I'll never get him back! I have to take him!" She started backing away towards the front door and kept the gun trained on Regina who was feeling quite scared herself. How could she stop this woman from kidnapping Henry? Emma was clearly unstable and there was no telling what she was capable of doing.

"Please. Don't take him, he's all I have!" Regina pleaded.

Henry started to scream and struggle against Emma, who in return tightened her hold on him.

"Wait. Wait please just stop! You're hurting him!" Regina begged, and forgetting about the gun she reached out for Henry again in attempt to get him out of harm's way.

Suddenly, without warning, the gun was fired twice and Regina cried out and fell backwards onto the hard marble floor. Henry screamed "No! Mommy!" and Emma turned and fled, racing out the front door, not even bothering to see what damage she had done.

* * *

_A/N: So I hope you are not to angry at my portrayal of a not so sweet Emma. I  
love Emma to bits honest! Reviews are very welcome!_


	2. Chapter 2

Emma Swan ran as fast as she could across the front lawn of Mayor Mills' house. The front door to 108 was left ajar but the young blonde did not look back as she hastened towards her car. The little three-year old child in her arms was wailing and trying to fight against her but she took no notice. Once she reached her car she flung open the door to the back seat and fumbled with the car seat she had purchased for the occasion.

"Kid! Calm down I'm not going to hurt you." Emma tried to quiet the boy.

"I don't wanna go with you! What did you do to my mom?" Henry cried while flailing against Emma as she tried to secure him into the seat.

"She's not your mom, I am!" Emma insisted. "She doesn't love you like I do. Don't worry I'm going to take good care of you. Please stay still, we have to go." In reply Henry was now whining something that Emma couldn't make out. When she was finally able to fasten the seatbelt around the feisty toddler she shut the door and slid into the driver's seat, eager to get on the road as soon as possible. Expertly backing out of the driveway she set off towards the highway and breathed a sigh of relief. Things hadn't gone exactly according to plan, but she had her kid and they were heading out of Storybrooke. Hopefully everything would run smoothly from now on.

A few minutes into their drive Henry was able to settle down a little and in a small voice that Emma could barely make out over the sound of the engine he asked, "Did you hurt my mommy?"

Emma bit her lip and looked up at him in the rear-view mirror, not sure how to respond. Instead she switched her attention back to the road and remained silent.

Henry tried another question, "Is she dead?" Emma looked up at him again; his big green eyes were full of worry and fear. Emma felt a pang of guilt; she had never meant to hurt her son, but getting rid of Regina had ended up being a necessity.

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't let her keep us from being together." At her response Henry began to sniffle again and tears ran down his cheeks in worry for his mother. He wiped them away with his sleeve but they continued to fall.

"You'll see Henry, we're going to have a lot of fun!" Emma said trying to cheer him up.

Henry's lips quivered and he didn't reply, instead he slumped into his seat and refused to speak.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Regina stirred from where she had fallen on the floor, as the pain hit her she sucked in her breath. She could hear a car engine roaring to life through the open front door, but she couldn't get up as quickly as she would have liked. "No!" She said out loud in fear. This couldn't be happening, that woman couldn't take Henry. Groaning, she pushed herself up with one palm trying to stand, but the piercing pain coming from her left side made this extremely difficult. Any sudden moves resulted in a blinding agony that made it hard to focus. Finally succeeding, she stumbled towards the front door, grabbing onto the walls for support as she went. When she reached the doorway she paused for a brief moment to steady herself and then looked around, there was no one in sight. A sickening feeling of dread ran through her, they were gone. Henry was gone.

Regina's eyes widened in panic and she struggled towards the road, panting from the effort. The street was completely silent with not a single person or car in sight. Regina shook her head in loss of what to do and covered her mouth with her hand. Before she had even realised what she was doing she was screaming at the top of her lungs into the night. Collapsing onto the ground, she hid her face in her hands, and then ran her hands through her hair in despair, clutching at the raven strands that fell to just above her shoulders.

"Mayor Mills?"A concerned voice came from beside her. She looked up at the woman, who placed a gentle hand on Regina's arm; it was one of her neighbours. "Are you alright?"

Regina inhaled a shaky breath, preparing to speak, but she couldn't find her voice. After a few seconds she was able to whisper, "my son... she took him."

"Don't worry, I've called the Sheriff, he should be here any minute." The woman said in attempt to comfort the mayor. As she tried to help Regina to her feet, the woman noticed the wounds. "Oh my, you're bleeding! Here let me help," the woman took off her zip-up sweater and pressed it against Regina's side in order to staunch the blood. "Who took your son?"

Regina grabbed the woman's wrist but before she could say anything the sounds of a siren filled the air and a police cruiser came skidding to a halt. Graham leapt out of the car and came running over to the two of them.

"Regina, what happened?" He asked as he knelt down beside her, placing a soothing hand on her back.

Regina's breath came rapidly in her distress. She turned her attention to the Sheriff, "a woman, she said her name was Emma Swan, she came and just... took Henry. Claiming he was hers." She paused for a second, swallowing hard. "She said she was his birthmother." Regina explained shakily, shutting her eyes as she began to get lightheaded.

"Mayor Mills has been shot Sheriff," Regina's neighbour told him.

Graham's face filled with concern, "let me see." The woman removed the sweater from Regina's side and he inspected the wounds. "Regina we need to get you to the hospital, immediately." Looking up at the neighbour, he said "Thank you. For all of your help, I'll look after her from here."

Noticing that Regina was shivering he took off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders, and then he carefully helped her up and led her towards his police cruiser. It would be faster to take her to the hospital himself than to wait for an ambulance to arrive. As they walked Regina clung to him, leaning against him heavily for support; mainly because she was getting weak from loss of blood, but also because she needed the comfort of her friend. Graham held her securely to make sure she didn't trip, and was careful not to touch her injuries and cause her more pain. He could feel her fingers clutching at the fabric of his shirt, "Graham..." she sobbed.

"I know, just hang in there. We'll get you fixed up, and then we'll find Henry I promise."

A few tears ran down her face, "You can't be sure of that."

"Regina, I will find him. Don't you worry about that, just try and focus on staying awake."

"I'm not going to fall asleep Graham," She replied with a hint of resentment.

"Maybe not, but I don't want you slipping into a coma on me. You need to stay strong for Henry."

As they reached the car Graham helped Regina into the passenger seat and then hurried over to his side of the car. Sliding in, he buckled his seatbelt and sped off towards the hospital.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The doors to the Emergency Room burst open and Regina was wheeled inside on a gurney, Graham following closely behind.

When they got close to the operating room Regina suddenly started to fight against the doctors, trying to get up. "I don't have time for this, I need to find my son!"

"Mayor Mills you need to stay still!" Dr. Whale warned her. "You're going to do yourself further injury. We need to operate immediately or else you could die. You have lost enough blood already, we can't afford to wait any longer. Do you understand?"

Regina continued to fight, "Why is no one doing anything? We need to find him!"

"Regina we'll do everything we can but we need you to calm down so we can help you."

When Regina still refused to stop, Dr. Whale ordered that she be given some sedatives. A few seconds after the injection was administered Regina stopped struggling and lay unmoving. Her breathing steadied but she was still conscious and slightly aware of her surroundings.

Graham approached her side and held her hand comfortingly, "I'll look for Henry, don't worry about that." He told her for the second time that night. "Right now I just want you to let the doctors look after you ok? I promise I will do my best." Regina responded by making a small noise which Graham assumed was her agreement. As he stroked the back of her hand with his thumb, a single tear fell from her eyes, and she blinked weakly trying to keep him in focus.

"Sheriff I need to ask you to leave now, we need to prep Mayor Mills for surgery. We can inform you of her condition once we are finished operating." Doctor Whale said to him.

Graham nodded, "thank you." He smiled down at Regina reassuringly and then exited the room, planning to head back to the station to run a background check on Emma Swan. On the way to the hospital he had asked Regina to describe Emma, and inquired if she knew the type of car the woman had been driving. Regina had done her best to tell him everything she could remember, but she had unfortunately not seen the car. Graham hoped he could find something about Emma Swan that could help him to track her down.


	3. Chapter 3

It was about forty-five minutes after Graham had left the hospital. He was sitting in his office at the Sheriff's station and was looking through the files he had found on Emma Swan. There weren't very many, but he had learned that she grew up in the foster system and had lived in many different places around the United States in the past few years. None of this was very useful for his investigation, although he had been able to find her driver's licence and a car that was registered in her name. If he was lucky, this was the car she had driven to Storybrooke tonight. If this was true then he could put out an alert on her plate number and they just might be able to find her before she got too far away.

Getting to work straight away, he notified the state police of the situation and gave them the information he had. After they had assured Graham that they would begin their search immediately, he grabbed his coat and keys and headed outside to question the townspeople, maybe someone had seen something that could be useful.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Where are we going?" Henry whined from his carseat.

"I haven't decided yet," Emma said thoughtfully. "What about Orlando? Do you want to live in Florida?"

"No!" Henry spat, unhappily.

"Come on, you'll love it there I promise!" Emma smiled, "It is warm and sunny all year, and it has Disney World! We could go there all the time, it'll be so much fun!"

"I don't want to go to Disney with you!" Henry pouted.

Emma frowned. "...I know right now you think you don't like me, but once you get to know me everything will be great. You'll see how much I love you, and you will love me too."

"I'll never love you, I hate you!" Henry folded his arms and made a face that only an angry three-year old can pull off.

Exhaling in frustration, Emma gave up. She had forgotten how stubborn three-year olds could be.

"Take me home! I want to see my mommy."

"We can't go back Henry, we have to keep going. So we can have our life together!" She smiled.

"But I wanna see..."

"She's dead! And she didn't love you. Trust me, I've had foster parents, they only take kids for their own benefit. As soon as the kid becomes too much work they throw them away. I will never do that to you Henry, I promise." Emma was on the verge of crying as she remembered her childhood.

"No... I don't believe you," Henry sniffed, "she can't be dead... And you're wrong, my mommy does love me."

"I'm sorry Henry but she's gone. Now you just need to forget about her and then we can move on and be happy."

Henry began to cry again, he didn't understand what was going on. His mother couldn't be dead, she would always be there for him no matter what. She would find him he was sure of it; and why was this strange woman telling him she was his mother? None of it made any sense. As he looked solemnly out of the window he saw a large road with lots of tall lights along the sides of it. He had never been on anything like this before, it gave off a wonderful orange glow that he was sure if he wasn't so distraught he would have found beautiful.

"What is this?" He asked quietly, but with interest.

"What's what?" Emma looked up at him in the rear-view mirror, her voice still a little shaky.

"This street, it doesn't look like the ones in Storybrooke."

"Oh..." She hadn't realised the boy had never been out of the little town before. "It's called a highway, it's how you can get from city to city really fast. Do you like it?"

"Mmhmm," Came his soft reply.

Emma was driving a lot faster than Regina ever did, and Henry watched the lights from both the highway and the growing number cars as they sped by. The rhythmical pattern they created had a somewhat calming effect on him and he was able to relax a little and enjoy the scenery.

Emma was relieved to see that Henry wasn't as upset as he was before, and she too relaxed into her seat as she continued to focus on driving. She found it cute that he was still young enough that there were a lot of ordinary things that were completely new to him. She would really enjoy showing him all of the amazing things this world had to offer.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Graham entered the Storybrooke hospital and made his way to where they were treating Regina. He hadn't had much luck in questioning the townspeople. No one had seemed to notice anyone unusual, but even if they had it probably wouldn't have helped him much in the long run. He already knew what Emma Swan looked like from her records and Regina's description of her. And he already had her licence plate number. However there was still a small chance that she had not been driving the car that was registered to her.

Graham approached one of the nurses, "how is Mayor Mills doing?"

"She is still in surgery, but it looks like she is going to pull through alright. When he has the time I will ask Dr. Whale to come and talk to you." The nurse smiled comfortingly at Graham, who was relieved to hear that Regina was going to be ok. He went to sit down in the waiting room and wondered how Henry was holding up. He hoped the state police would be able to find the lad, he was so little for something like this to happen. Graham hoped he wasn't too frightened; he had witnessed Regina being shot hadn't he? That must have been horrible for him.

As he waited for Dr. Whale, Graham became lost in his thoughts. He wished he could be of more help in the search but it was honestly better if he let the state police do their job. If he tried to intervene it would only slow them down. Emma had definitely left Storybrooke right away so there was not much more he could do at this point. Someone needed to be here for Regina anyways, and he was more than happy to be that person.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Sheriff?" Came the faraway voice of Dr. Whale.

Graham groggily opened his eyes, he had fallen asleep on the visitor's couch and had obtained a stiff neck from the awkward position. As he rubbed the crick in his neck he stood up, "Is Regina alright? How did the surgery go?"

Dr. Whale smiled reassuringly, "Mayor Mills is going to be just fine. The surgery went very well and she is going to recover nicely. Regina was very lucky, neither of the bullets hit anything major so her healing process will be relatively quick, and if she is feeling up to it she can go home tomorrow. We will still send someone to check in on her every morning and night for the next few weeks just to be sure everything is healing properly and that she is taking care of herself. It would also be advisable to have someone to look after her when she first goes home, just in case of any incidents. Do you know of any friends or family that would be able to stay with her?"

Everything Dr. Whale had just said made Graham feel one hundred times better. Regina was definitely going to be ok. "Unfortunately Regina doesn't have any relatives close by," Graham lowered his voice, "and I don't believe she has many friends in town. If she wants I will be happy to stay with her, I'll sleep on the couch, I don't mind. I just want to be sure she is alright."

Dr. Whale nodded and said, "perfect! You can talk to her about that. She just woke up if you would like to see her now, it would be nice for her to have a friendly face. She has been through a lot tonight."

"Thank you, I will." Graham shook Dr. Whale's hand and as the man turned to leave Graham added, "And thank you. For everything."

Dr. Whale smiled and nodded, "I'm just happy we were able to help."

As Dr. Whale left, Graham walked slowly towards Regina's room, almost as if he were afraid of what he would find. As he got to the doorway he could see Regina reclining on the bed with a blanket pulled up to her chest. At first she appeared to be sleeping, but as Graham approached he could see that she was awake with her eyes cast downwards. There was an IV and heart monitor attached to her, and she was breathing somewhat heavily. But she was alive.

"Regina?" Graham asked softly as he came closer.

She lifted her eyes but her expression remained somber. There was no reply.

Graham couldn't think of what to say to her, everything he came up with seemed redundant. Finally he settled on: "Dr. Whale told me you are going to make a quick recovery. I'm happy to hear that." He gave her a small smile that she did not return. Seeing that her eyes were filling with tears he knelt down beside her and took her hand. "What is it?" Are you in any pain?"

Closing her eyes, Regina shook her head slowly.

Then Graham knew what was wrong, "it's Henry," he said simply.

Regina opened her eyes and looked at him, taking in a shaky breath. "What if she hurts him? He's so young..." Regina's expression was so desperate that Graham actually felt physical pain. He had no idea how to comfort her.

"Regina," Graham said quietly, but firmly. "You can't let yourself think like that. Henry is going to be fine. We will find him." Maybe trying to give her more hope was a bad idea, there was a possibility that they may never find Henry. Even worse, for all he knew Emma Swan could be a murderer.

A few of the tears broke free and ran down her cheeks, "what if I never get to see him again?" She sobbed, covering her face with her hands.

Graham got up then and sat on the edge of the bed, giving her a somewhat awkward hug so as not to hurt her. At his touch she stiffened, but after a small pause she responded by lightly wrapping her arms around his back. She gingerly lifted herself up in order to deepen their embrace, pressing her face against his shoulder. Regina had always been so strong-willed and tough, it was hard to see her in such distress. As Graham rubbed her back soothingly, he prayed that Henry would be found, safe and unharmed.

* * *

_A/N: This is getting pretty Graham/Regina isn't it? I hope you are all ok with that! Thanks for continuing to read, please review and let me know what you think!_


	4. Chapter 4

_I'm sorry this chapter took so long to post! I've been really busy with school and everything. I will try to get the next chapter posted very soon. Thank you for continuing to read!_

* * *

Graham entered Regina's hospital room holding a decaffeinated coffee he had bought for himself from a machine. He would have preferred one from the cafeteria but it unfortunately was closed during the night hours. Regina was sound asleep, and hopefully would be for quite a while more, but he didn't want to leave her alone in case she did wake up. He had a feeling she would be alright on her own, but earlier that evening when he had held her as she wept over her son, she had seemed so broken. He had never seen this side of her before and it worried him.

Treading lightly so as not to make too much noise, the Sheriff walked towards the window. He glanced at Regina again as he went, she looked so peaceful. Lingering his gaze on the sleeping brunette for a few moments, he finally turned to look out of the window. He sipped his coffee and looked towards the ground below. The soft glow from the streetlights was illuminating the area, but the place was completely deserted. Turning away from the view, he took a seat and watched Regina. It had been hours since he had first called the state police. What was taking them so long? Surely it shouldn't be this hard to find someone.

"Sheriff?" Came a quiet female voice from the doorway. Graham turned his head to look up at the woman. "You really should get some sleep, Mayor Mills won't be awake until morning. You don't need to worry, she'll be perfectly fine here. We'll look after her."

Graham hated to admit it but he really was getting very tired. If it was true that Regina would definitely not be awake until morning, maybe staying here was pointless. He would have to sleep eventually after all.

"I suppose so, but if she wakes up please let me know."

"Of course," the nurse smiled and Graham stood up. He took one last look at Regina and then followed the nurse from the room.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Emma picked up Henry out of his car seat, it was extremely late but she had wanted to get as far away from Storybrooke as she could before stopping. Finally giving in to her need for rest, she had decided to stop at a motel. Henry had been asleep in the backseat, but when Emma lifted him from the car he moaned a little and squirmed to get comfortable. As she secured him in her arms, he leaned his head into the crook of her neck and closed his eyes.

Emma's chest welled with happiness as she held her son. She wished she had never given him away in the first place, but at the time she had felt like she had no other choice. Anyways, the past didn't matter anymore, Emma had Henry back, and she was never going to let him down again. When the motel room door locked behind her, she moved over to the bed and pulled the covers back, gently lowering the toddler down. When she stepped back, Henry rolled over and curled into a ball, falling back to sleep instantly. Emma beamed as she tucked the little boy in. Placing an arm on his shoulder she whispered, "I love you."

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

The next day Emma was disappointed to learn that Henry still wanted Regina. She had caught him trying to escape when she had gone to the bathroom, but he hadn't been able to unlock the door. This had resulted in a not so pleasant fight between the two of them, one where Emma had received a good fist to the face.

Emma was now in the bathroom, dabbing her cheek with a cloth soaked in ice cold water while Henry was sitting on the floor of the main room. His face was buried against his knees which he was hugging to his chest. He was also crying again. Why was he resisting her so much?

"Henry, I'm not mad at you for hitting me, I know it was an accident." She called from the bathroom, examining her face in the mirror.

"It wasn't an accident." Came Henry's muffled voice.

Emma became annoyed. "You belong with me, you need to just accept that and make it easier for the both of us. This could all be so much nicer if you would just move on."

Henry sniffled and didn't respond. He kept his face hidden.

Emma sighed, and tossed the cloth into the sink. "Are you hungry? Why don't we go and get some lunch."

"No."

"I know you'll feel better if you eat something, let's go." Henry didn't budge. Emma stood with her arms folded for a few moments but then grabbed her keys and crouched down beside him. "It's time to leave," she said.

Henry glared up at her but still didn't move.

"You can't stay here by yourself," Emma told him.

"I can."

"Come on," Emma grabbed the boy's arm and pulled him to his feet.

"No! I don't want to go!" Henry pulled against her grasp.

"Henry, stop it!"

"Let go of me!" He shouted at her.

"Shhhh! People are going to hear you."

"I don't care! I want to go home! I want my mommy!" His voice broke.

Emma tried to make him stop shouting by covering his mouth with her hand. He attempted to pry her fingers from his face but no matter how much he tried she wouldn't let go. His wide eyes were glistening with tears. Noticing this, Emma felt a little guilty. However she needed him to cooperate. When he finally stopped fighting her she asked lowly, "are you going to behave now?" Henry nodded. "Good. Now let's go and have something to eat. We have a big day ahead of us." Emma held out her hand and Henry grudgingly took it. His head hung solemnly as he followed her outside.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

It was late in the afternoon and Regina was carefully ascending the staircase in her house, having decided that she would rather spend her recovery at home. Graham was following closely behind her. At first she had denied his offer to stay with her, but the only reason Dr. Whale would let her leave the hospital was if someone was there to look after her.

"Graham, you know you don't have to hover like that I'll be perfectly fine." She said when she noticed how close he was keeping to her.

"Sorry," Graham said quickly. "I just don't want you to fall, or hurt yourself or anything," he backed off a little.

As Regina reached the second floor she turned and looked at him. "Well, thank you for your concern but I'm quite alright."

"I want to make sure you're settled before I go back downstairs. What if you can't get into bed?" He held up his hands defensively, trying to pass it off as a joke but in truth he was quite serious.

"I'm sure I can handle it," she scoffed.

Graham studied her, she looked tired. Even though she had been able to sleep for most of the night, the morning had been hard on her. Everything that had happened the previous night came rushing back and she missed Henry more than ever. So far there had been no sign of Emma Swan's car anywhere. As a result Regina's hopes of ever seeing Henry again were getting lower and lower, and this devastated her.

When Graham didn't reply, Regina assumed he was being stubborn. "Fine. Come on then," she sighed, and Graham followed her into her room.

She took some time changing into pajamas in her walk-in closet, but she managed to do it successfully. Graham hung by the door to the hallway, not wanting to crowd and annoy her again.

He supervised as she carefully sat down on her bed, sliding into a comfortable position with her back leaning against a pillow and the plush headboard.

"Satisfied?" She said, "I can manage perfectly well on my own." Her tone had the edge that was so characteristically Regina, but it just didn't seem to come out as strongly as usual.

"I'm glad," Graham replied. "Do you want anything before I go downstairs? Water... tea... a book?"

"No, thank you Graham," she said softly, looking off to the side in thought.

The brunette shifted into a more comfortable position but still did not meet his gaze. He couldn't tell if it was his imagination or not, but he thought he could see more tears shining in her eyes.

"Do you want me to stay?" He asked in concern.

Regina shut her eyes and shook her head, "no, please just go."

"Alright, well don't hesitate to call if you need anything."

She nodded in response, and Graham quietly left the room, wishing there was more that he could do.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Emma and Henry were having lunch in a small diner they had come across along the road. Emma had bought them both a plate of chocolate chip pancakes but Henry refused to touch his.

"Just try one bite, I swear they are delicious!" Emma encouraged.

Henry kept his arms folded tightly and shook his head, pouting.

They had already been at this for a few minutes, and Emma finally gave up and slumped back in her seat. She had wanted this trip to be fun, why didn't he want to spend time with her?

After a few minutes of them sitting in silence, Emma said, "I'm going to go to the bathroom ok? I'll be right back."

Henry nodded at her and looked out the window as Emma left the room. There was a soft buzz coming from the surrounding customers and Henry was reminded of Granny's diner, which his mother occasionally took him to for a treat. However it didn't have the same charm, and he didn't recognise any of the people here; whereas at Granny's he knew a lot of them from seeing them around town.

He watched as a black and white car pulled into the parking lot outside. At first Henry was excited because he had thought it was Sherriff Graham coming to bring him home, but then as the driver got out he could see that this was a different man, dressed in uniform. Henry stared curiously as the man approached Emma's car and inspected it. Then the man talked into a small black device Henry recognised as a walkie-talkie. Suddenly, the man looked up at the diner and began to stride towards it. Henry looked over to the place where Emma had disappeared but didn't see her returning. The bell on top of the door jingled as the police officer entered the building, examining the customers who took little notice of him. When his eyes fell on Henry, they stayed trained on him for a few seconds and then did another quick scan of the room. Now the officer walked towards the little boy and sat down opposite him.

"Hi there, my name is Officer Riley, but you can call me Jackson if you want, that is my first name. Are you Henry Mills?"

Henry stared wide eyed at Jackson. The boy wasn't afraid of him, just astonished that he knew who he was. Henry nodded.

"Are you here with anyone?" Jackson asked.

Henry nodded again, "Emma, she's in the bathroom. But I don't like her, she hurt my mommy."

"Don't worry son, you're mom is fine, and I'm going to take you back to her."

Just then Emma emerged from the back hallway, but froze in her tracks when she saw the pair talking. Both looked up at her, and Officer Riley stood up and half shouted, "Emma Swan!"

Emma ignored the man and looked at the three year old instead, "Henry come on, we are leaving!" She started to walk towards him but the police officer barred her way.

"You're not taking him anywhere. Emma Swan I'm charging you with home invasion, kidnapping, and attempted murder. Turn around you're under arrest." Emma paused and looked at Henry for a few seconds, but then tried to run for it. Officer Riley easily caught her and pinned her arms behind her back, slapping handcuffs on her wrists as she struggled and shouted at him to get off of her. As the other customers in the diner watched the commotion Officer Riley read Emma her rights. Henry was standing now, watching the scene in a kind of horror.

A few more police cruisers had since pulled into the parking lot and some of their occupants entered the diner, while the others stayed outside. As two officers led Emma from the building she fought against them and tried to look at the toddler. "Henry, it's a mistake, I'll come back for you!"

Henry just watched her open mouthed, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. He didn't notice as Jackson knelt down beside him. "Are you ok Henry?" He asked kindly. "Did she hurt you at all?"

"No, I'm ok." Henry choked.

"Do you want to go home?" Jackson asked, holding out his hand for the child to take it.

Henry looked up at him, and then nodded and took the man's hand, following him out of the restaurant.


	5. Chapter 5

The police cruiser pulled into the driveway; Regina could see the headlights reflect on the walls of the front hall where she had been pacing anxiously back and forth despite Graham's protests for her to relax. When she saw this however, she stopped walking immediately.

"They're here," she breathed, her heart beating rapidly. Graham came to stand beside her and placed a hand on her back. She looked over at him and he smiled, together they walked towards the front door. Just as they reached it, so did the passengers from the car so Graham turned the doorknob. Before he had even seen any of the people on the front porch, a tiny form raced paced him into the house.

"Mommy!" shouted Henry as he flung himself into Regina's arms. She had been quicker than Graham to see the little boy coming and she was already crouching by the time he reached her.

"Henry!" She sobbed as she buried her face in his hair. "I'm so happy to see you! Are you ok? She pulled back slightly to look down at him.

He kept his face hidden against Regina's chest but he nodded his head in response. With a little difficulty, she picked him up so that she could stand. Wrapping her arms even more protectively around him, she kissed the top of his head and then rested her cheek against it, never wanting to let go of him again.

Graham watched happily as the mother and son reunited, but then decided to give them some space so he stepped outside to talk to the other officers.

"Mommy..." Henry said, his voice slightly muffled "are you crying?"

Regina was silent for a few more moments, still hugging him tightly. Finally she sniffed, and pulled away to look at him again. He looked up at her with those big green eyes of his and she smiled, not being able to help giving a small, delighted laugh.

" I'm just so relieved you're alright. I was so worried. I thought..." Her voice broke and her smile faltered. She looked off to the side, trying to hide her expression from him.

"What wrong?" Henry asked.

Regina quickly composed herself and smiled down at Henry again. "Nothing," she said softly, adjusting him in her arms.

He continued to stare at her, and after a few seconds he reached up and brushed her cheek with his hand, trying to wipe the tears away. This however just made Regina cry even more, but they were tears of joy. She nuzzled his forehead with her own and breathed a deep sigh of contentment.

"I love you Henry," she whispered.

"Love you too," came Henry's quiet reply.

After a few minutes alone together, Regina and Henry joined the officers out front. They politely refused Regina's invitation to come inside, insisting that they needed to get back to work. Regina felt that she couldn't thank them enough for returning her little boy to her.

As the officers left they returned Henry's waves enthusiastically, happy to have been able to return him to his mother.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

It was about two hours after Henry had returned home. Henry, Graham, and Regina were all in the living room where they had been watching cartoons. Regina and Henry were sitting on the couch; Henry was on her lap with his head resting against her chest. She had her arms draped lightly around him as she talked to Graham.

"It looks like Henry is falling asleep," Graham noted, watching as the boy fought to keep his eyes open.

Regina rubbed the Henry's back and asked softly, "do you want to go bed?"

The toddler shook his head and mumbled "no..." He then turned further into her embrace and shut his eyes.

Regina ran her fingers through his hair as Graham said, "I don't think he wants to leave you."

She smiled over at him briefly before returning her gaze to the little boy, who was breathing very deeply now. "I think he fell asleep." Regina whispered.

"Do you want me to take him upstairs?" Graham offered.

Regina thought for a moment, staring down at Henry. Finally she nodded, "yes that would be great. Thank you."

Graham stood and walked towards the two, carefully lifting Henry up, trying not to wake him. He then headed upstairs and Regina followed closely behind.

When they reached Henry's room, Regina pulled back the bedcovers and Graham gently placed the toddler down. The boy stirred a little and groggily opened his eyes.

"Sheriff?" He asked confused; and then suddenly panicking he added, "where's my mommy?"

"It's ok honey I'm right here," Regina said soothingly, coming to sit beside him . She ran the back of her hand across his cheek comfortingly and Henry seemed to relax a little.

"Regina are you alright from here?" Graham asked, standing back a little, feeling as if he was intruding.

"Yes, I'll be fine. You know where your room is right? Please, make yourself at home."

"Thanks, I'll see you in the morning. I hope you both have a good sleep." He said, and then disappeared into the hallway.

Regina returned her gaze down to Henry, who was staring back at her with an expression she couldn't quite decipher.

"What is it?" She whispered, running her hand through his hair.

"Do you really love me?"

Regina was taken aback, "Henry! Of course I do, you've always known that," she rested a hand on his arm and smiled, but her smile did not quite reach her eyes which were betraying signs of hurt. "Why would you ask such a thing?"

Henry sat up, and Regina's hand fell to the blankets instead as she watched him. "Emma told me you didn't really love me, and what did she mean when she said you weren't my mom?"

Regina's face fell as she heard this, was she going to have to tell Henry the truth about his adoption? She had always planned to tell him, just not when he was this young. She didn't know if he would understand. "Henry... I _am_ your mother." She said softly. "I raised you and took care of you, and I love you," she emphasized the last part, "with all my heart."

Henry's expression lightened and Regina was relieved to see that Henry truly did know that she loved him, he had just been making sure. Regina smiled at his reaction, but then remembered his second question. Inhaling heavily to prepare herself, she inched a little bit closer to Henry and placed an arm around his shoulders. He looked up at her waiting for her to continue. Looking down at him, she began.

"Henry, what you need to know is..." she paused, trying to find a way to say it in simple terms. "Even though I am your mother, I didn't give birth to you." She watched his expression closely before going on, he seemed puzzled but that was it. "Emma did, she told you the truth about that part." Henry's eyes widened momentarily but he didn't interrupt. "But before you were born she had decided that she wasn't going to be able to give you a proper life, a proper home. So she... she let me adopt you. Because I knew that I could give you the home and love you deserved. Do you understand?"

Henry stared at her, he seemed less confused than before but his brow was still slightly furrowed. "So Emma _is_ my mom?"

Regina looked away for a second and briefly closed her eyes. "Emma gave birth to you, but that doesn't make her your mother. That takes care and devotion." Henry remained silent. "Are you upset with me?"

Henry's eyes searched hers and then he shook his head. "No, I'm happy you 'dopted me." With that he shifted closer to her and hugged her. Regina in turn, placed her other arm around him too, smiling through tear filled eyes.

"Mommy, can I stay with you tonight?"

Regina nodded, "of course, if you want to."

He removed his arms from her torso in order to wrap them around her neck instead, making it easier for her to pick him up. Holding him carefully, she stood up, ignoring the pang in her side as her wounds became irritated. Henry rested his head in the crook of her neck as she walked towards her bedroom. When she reached her bed she sat down and Henry crawled over to the opposite side of the bed, burrowing under the covers. Regina watched him happily and then reached over to her bedside table for a bottle of pills. Taking two out and swallowing them with a glass of water that was there from earlier on, she too slid into bed.

"What were those for?" Henry asked curiously.

"They're for here," she rubbed the injured spot on her side. "So it doesn't hurt."

Henry was silent as he stared at it, remembering the events of the day before. "Did it hurt at first?" He asked, still staring at her side.

"Only a little bit," She said after a brief pause, not wanting to worry him.

Henry stared up at her, apparently satisfied with the answer. "Can I see it?"

Regina was slightly amused, "what for?"

Henry shrugged in response.

"Alright, I suppose so." and she lifted back her shirt a bit, so he could see the bandages. Henry reached out to touch them. "Be careful," Regina warned, and Henry lightly touched the bandages with his fingertips. It tickled a little but she waited until he withdrew his hand before she rubbed her wound again.

"Do you have to wear that forever?" Henry asked about the bandages.

"No, only for a few weeks, maybe a few months." Regina looked at her son lovingly. Henry smiled back at her and then laid his head down on her pillow. He watched as she gingerly laid down too and then snuggled into her side.

As she held him close Regina whispered, "I'm sorry I let her take you." At Henry's lack of response Regina assumed he had fallen asleep already, so she kissed his forehead. "I love you Henry."

"I love you too mommy."


End file.
